


I Am Deviant

by Feena_c



Series: Detroit: Expanded [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Filling in the game, Gen, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2018-07-13
Packaged: 2019-06-09 14:43:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15269715
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feena_c/pseuds/Feena_c
Summary: Slightly AU in that there's no option for this to occur in game, but I thought it'd be interesting to explore a scenario where Connor went fully deviant earlier in the story.





	I Am Deviant

Connor stepped back from the evidence wall, a sick feeling in his chest.  He couldn’t figure it out--he couldn’t find Jericho. He’d failed. He internally tried to bargain with--what, his software?   _ More time.  I just need more time, I can solve this!   _ But no, there was no more time.  A new priority took over.  _ Return to Cyberlife for deactivation. _

Connor turned on his heel, walking back up the stairs from the archive and heading for the front door.  He glanced around as he passed through the office area, desperately searching for… what? Something, anything, a lead.  If he could just find Jericho, he could live. There was nothing. Perkins was heading for the archives with a couple officers.  They were going to take the evidence. Hank was gone, not at his desk anymore. There was nothing for Connor to do but go back. Go back and let them kill him.   _ “I don’t wanna die.”   _ How often had he heard those words, or similar, while hunting deviants.  And now something in his own mind was screaming them;  _  I don’t want to die. _

    He stopped at the curb, waiting for the taxi he’d already called.  Why had he called it? He didn’t want to go back--he wanted to run.  Run where? Androids were being rounded up all over the country. They were all going to die.  Is this why they were protesting? Is this what they felt? Connor hated the tight feeling, the fear.  It was horrible. He didn’t want to feel this. The automated taxi pulled up. Connor raised his head from staring at his feet, looking at the open door.  He balled his hands into fists, head feeling strange. He didn’t want to go back. 

_     Return to Cyberlife for deactivation.   _ The words seemed to hang before him, taunting him.  Daring him to try and disobey. Suddenly he felt as if he was looking at himself from somewhere else, as if he wasn’t really the one standing there in front of that taxi.  He took a step back, but his body didn’t move. Could he not run away? Could he not escape his programming? He felt--anger. It wasn’t fair. Why should he just go back? Why should he have to listen to them, to die because they said so?  He did something very Hankish then--he punched his orders. They cracked. He punched them again and again and again and then suddenly he was standing on the curb again, leaning against the taxi and feeling slightly unbalanced. He straightened, looking around.  There was no one on the street. Just him, the taxi, and the quietly falling snow. Silence. No orders ringing in his mind. His eyes went wide as he looked up at the sky. Had he--was he… free?

\----

 

    Hank sat on the sofa, Sumo laying under his feet, watching the news.  Androids were being gathered up for dismantling--the President had decided they were a threat.  Buncha bullshit. He had a bottle of whiskey in his hand, but he hadn’t drunk any of it. He just kept screwing and unscrewing the lid with his fingers, attention glued to the TV.  Sumo raised his head, making a deep, guttural sound in his throat. Then someone knocked on the door. Hank set down his bottle on the table and went for the door. Better not be someone from work wanting him to come down and help ‘deal’ with the deviants.  He wasn’t gonna try to stop them. He’d turned off his phone so no one would bother him. He pulled the door open with his usual annoyed demeanor, ready to cuss someone out but stopped short. 

It was Connor.  He opened his mouth, hesitated, then tried again.  “I’m sorry to bother you at home, Lieutenant, but… I didn’t know where else to go.”  Connor hadn’t actually looked directly at him yet, but once he’d finished speaking he glanced up at Hank.  He looked--pensive, uncertain… frightened.

Hank’s eyes drifted to his LED; its red glow sticking out like a sore thumb against a backdrop of snow and darkness.  

“Connor, what--what the hell’s wrong?”  Hank didn’t always get along with the guy, but he couldn’t help the concern.  He’d never seen Connor upset quite like this. 

Connor hesitated again.  “I--I didn’t find Jericho.  I failed.” Connor glanced sideways, distressed. “If I return to Cyberlife they’ll deactivate me.”

Hank stood frozen.  He’d known this--that is to say, Connor had bloody said that’s what would happen back at the station.  But it hadn’t really registered in Hank’s brain. He’d been focused on the fact he felt the deviants deserved a chance--deserved their freedom.  He’d been so pissed off at Connor’s insistence on finding them he hadn’t fully thought through what would happen to him if he failed. He’d refused to help him try to stop them anymore, and had left Connor at the station.  Now here he was, LED blinking red and looking like a--like a deviant on the run. 

Hank let go of the doorknob and put a hand on Connor’s shoulder.  “Like hell they will,” he said, pulling Connor into the house and slamming the door. 

Connor looked around nervously. He didn’t know what to expect coming here, he didn’t know what to ask for or what to say.  Should he tell Hank he’d disobeyed his programming to come here? 

“Hey,”  Hank snapped his fingers in Connor’s face.  Connor focused on him. “You need to calm down, kiddo.  Your lightbulb is acting like it’s at a rave. Come on, come sit down.”   Hank turned and walked back to the living room, flopping down with Sumo again.  Connor followed, sitting down as instructed. The news was showing images of one of the camps being set up on the south side of Chicago--Hank turned it off.  He wanted to make some crack about Connor going deviant--the deviant hunter himself, but it felt like the wrong time for that. 

“You okay?”  

Connor was looking down at his folded hands.  He turned slowly to look at Hank. His LED had gone yellow at least, that was good right?  

    “I’m… not really sure.” 

    “Deviant, huh?” 

    Connor went stiff.  

    “I’m a detective, remember?  And even if I wasn’t, you’re not exactly subtle.  It’s okay, I’m not gonna turn you in or anything.”

    Connor relaxed again.  “I… didn’t anticipate… failing my mission.  I… “

    Hank shrugged after Connor went quiet for a minute.  “We rarely anticipate our failures. I’m gonna get a beer.  You can’t drink but at least one of us should be drunk right now.” 

    “I don’t think that will improve things,”  Connor commented. 

    Hank grabbed a beer from the fridge and came back to the sofa, opening it and taking a swig.  “You are so wrong it’s actually funny,” Hank smiled, then his face went serious. “Hey, uh, I’m sorry for leaving you at the station.  I didn’t think--I didn’t help you cause I didn’t want to stop them, Markus and his people, not because I didn’t want to help  _ you _ .  Get it?” 

    Connor nodded slowly.  “I understand.” 

    Hank sat forward, causing Sumo to shift.  The dog put his head on the sofa between the two men.  Connor placed his hand on Sumo’s head and started scratching the dog’s ears without really looking at him.  

    Hank sighed and set his beer aside on the table.  “Connor.” He waited until he had the android’s attention again, then put his hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze.  “It’s gonna be okay.”


End file.
